Bab 205: 206. A-Level Evaluation Again.
During the conjunction of spheres, many black holes appeared in the sky. But after all, they only appeared for less than three minutes. In fact, the number of drowners that fell from these black holes, survived, and managed to stand up and attack humans was only around three or four hundred. However, they were scattered too widely, and the situation came too suddenly.
For ordinary people with no combat ability, the threat was enormous. But for demon hunters like Allen and his group, there was no danger at all. It took almost an entire afternoon. The demon hunters had nearly cleared all the drowners in the outer city of Ban Ard.
[Ding! Defeated the group of monsters: "Drowner King" Lv24 and "Bog Nymph" LV27!]
[Reward Calculation: Overcoming the enemy, base rating D, killing higher-level enemies +3—C, beheading intimidation +3—B, defeating many with few +3—A.]
[Final Rating: A]
[Loot obtained: Drowner Heart Essence Liquid287, Drowner King Heart Essence Liquid2, Bog Nymph Heart Essence Liquid2, Experience Beads12, Drowner King's Treasure Chest5, Bog Nymph's Treasure Chest5, Drowner's Treasure Chest*5.]
The continuous system notifications snapped Allen out of his daze. He exhaled lightly, then looked up, somewhat bewildered. The stench of blood hung in the air. Dismembered drowner bodies were scattered across the streets of the lower town. Mixed among them were the incomplete, gnawed bodies of humans.
Dark red blood flowed through the uneven cracks in the stones, pooling into patches of blood.
Wherever Allen's gaze passed by—
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The residents of Ban Ard's lower town hurriedly shut their windows, as if they were avoiding some bloodthirsty killer.
"Phew—"
"Is it over?"
Allen let out a long breath, and his once dazed eyes regained a little clarity.
"Are you alright, Allen?"
A cool female voice came from behind. He turned toward the sound. A hooded woman with red hair was looking at him with a worried expression.
"Vera?"
Allen froze for two seconds before remembering the plan to escape from Kaedwen that he and the sorceress had agreed upon before the tournament. However, now—
The Wolf School's greatest enemy was dead, and the sorcerers were preoccupied with their own affairs. They could leave Ban Ard through the main gates openly and without issue.
"Yes, it's me. Are you… alright?"
The sorceress approached.
Snap!
With a snap of her fingers, she conjured a white silk cloth and gently wiped the bloodstains from Allen's face. The faint scent of oranges mixed with cardamom instantly dispelled the overwhelming smell of blood from his nose. For some reason—
As he inhaled this fragrance—
The tension in his nerves instantly eased. The delicate features of the sorceress's face were filled with concern for him. Vesemir, who stood behind Allen, was also looking at him with worry.
Allen shook his head and said: "Don't worry, I'm fine."
He knew what the sorceress and Vesemir were concerned about. In the past, he might have hidden the abilities granted by the conjunction of spheres, fearing that the secret of the Witcher's Codex would be exposed.
But after showcasing his powers so many times, those who spent time with him would inevitably have some suspicions. They simply maintained a tacit understanding on the surface.
I don't say, and they don't ask.
By now, both the sorceress and Vesemir likely thought he was deeply guilty because of the many casualties caused by the conjunction of spheres in Ban Ard.
However—
Allen was indeed fine.
He did feel some guilt, since living people had died in front of him due to the "out-of-control" conjunction of spheres. And that conjunction was somewhat related to him.
Allen wasn't made of stone, so how could he not feel any emotional fluctuations?
But to be honest—
The guilt wasn't overwhelming.
The reason he had felt a little out of control was simply because he saw humans being slaughtered by monsters, and it stirred some empathy in him.
If he hadn't become a Wolf School witcher after crossing into this world, his fate might not have been much different from these ordinary people of Ban Ard.
Dying somewhere, anonymously, at the hands of some monster. These two factors combined, causing him to lose control for a moment. Seeing the concern on their faces warmed Allen's heart. But this personal emotion wasn't something he was going to discuss, so he changed the subject and asked: "So, what's next? Should we head to Ban Ard Academy to report the task?"
The sorceress gazed at him with concern for a moment. Seeing that Allen didn't want to discuss the matter further, she turned her head to look at Sol. Sol pondered for a moment before saying: "We don't need so many people for the task report. I'll go alone. You guys find a place to stay."
"Let's go to White Orchard Inn," Vesemir suggested.
With everything that had happened, they certainly weren't going to return to the sorcerers' academy and stay at Alzur's High Tower. The city of Ban Ard was in ruins and no longer suitable for living.
Besides—
The residents here weren't welcoming them. So, the other witchers nodded in agreement without objections.
"Vera, go with them and stay hidden. Don't show yourself," Sol said, turning to the sorceress. "The sorcerers are still looking for someone to blame."
The sorceress nodded.
After that, the witchers went back to the sorcerers' academy to retrieve their horses. There had been someone guarding the stables the whole time. So Allen's mare, Carrot, was only slightly startled from the earthquake and the aura of the large monsters but remained unharmed. The other witchers' mounts were mostly fine as well.
As they stood by the gates of Ban Ard Academy, Vesemir offered a worried reminder: "Sol, be careful with those sorcerers!"
"Don't worry," Sol patted Vesemir's shoulder, "the one who wanted me dead the most is already gone."
"Ban Ard has its own problems to deal with now. They'll be rushing to curry favor with me instead."
"But you guys, stay cautious on the road."
"Treyse and Guxart of the Cat School are still in Ban Ard. Beware of them making desperate moves!"
Vesemir nodded: "Don't worry, I'll be careful!"
Then—
Sol cast a casual glance at Allen but said nothing before turning toward the arena. Allen watched as the Wolf School leader, with two swords on his back, walked away. He knew that Sol wasn't going just for the reward from the commission.
In the wake of the king's death, the role the Wolf School played was still unclear. Whether Henselt's death would bring fortune or disaster to the school…
Those were matters the grandmaster of the Wolf School had to negotiate and resolve for them, ensuring their safety.
And these—
Were things Allen couldn't do, nor was he qualified to do.
At least, not yet…
-----------------
On the streets, the city guards of Ban Ard finally recovered and began maintaining order throughout the city. From time to time, they directed citizens to clean up the corpses strewn on the streets. Whether they belonged to drowners or humans.
Crying, cursing, sobbing, and words of gratitude—
Various emotions were transformed into sounds that echoed throughout Ban Ard.
"Thank you for saving my wife and daughter."
Allen, walking slowly toward the city gate with Carrot, was startled by the sudden voice.
Looking up, he saw a well-dressed middle-aged man. Beside him, a woman in a blue dress stained with blood held a child in her arms, bowing her head in gratitude toward him. To be honest, Allen didn't remember saving this man.The middle-aged man had tears in his eyes as he tightly held the woman beside him.
After bowing to Allen and the other witchers, they handed over a finely crafted money pouch.
"This is a token of our appreciation."
Allen remained silent, not planning to accept it. Despite refusing several times, the couple still insisted.
"Please, take it. No amount of money can buy the lives of our loved ones. Aisha and Beryl are worth far more than this bag of coins."
"If you don't accept it, we'll feel too ashamed to pray to the merciful Melitele again!"
Allen was in a dilemma. He had some involvement in the incident. While he didn't feel overly guilty, accepting a reward from the victims felt a bit beyond his moral boundary.
"Take it!" Vesemir urged from the side.
In the end, Allen accepted the money pouch. After all, as a witcher who "saves people," not taking the reward might make it seem like he had something to hide. And who knows, a sorcerer might catch him in the wrong.
From the gate of Ban Ard Academy to the city's main gate, There were many residents who came to thank them along the way.
It was clear.
Because of Allen and the others killing drowners and saving the townsfolk. The image of witchers in the minds of Ban Ard's residents had greatly improved. Of course, Not everyone viewed them with gratitude.
Allen's keen hearing also caught many people saying unpleasant things like "bringer of calamity," "monster," or "a freak cursed by the gods bringing misfortune."
But none of this mattered.
The witchers pretended not to hear.
If the insults were shouted too loudly or arrogantly, those who had received help naturally stood up to defend the witchers. And so, It took Allen and his companions nearly an hour to reach the gates of Ban Ard amidst the gratitude of the people.
Not long after leaving the city, they spotted Vera wearing a hood by the roadside. The sorceress glanced at the bulging saddlebags under the witchers' horses and smiled: "It seems like you've had quite the harvest?"
"Didn't expect so many kind people in Ban Ard!" Fred happily patted his saddlebag.
After leaving the city, he had immediately taken out the money pouch to count it. Inside were silver and copper coins worth at least 200 orens, mostly from the upper town.
Though some from the lower town had also given money or other gifts in thanks. Fred and the other witchers hadn't accepted them.
Feeling the heavy weight against his calf, Fred was already thinking about how to spend the money. But no matter how much he thought, what he wanted most was Allen's Northern Wind bombs.
"With this money, maybe I can try making a Northern Wind myself?"
Fred mused.
"Does anyone remember how unwilling certain people looked when we were clearing the drowners?"
Vesemir glanced at the few excited young witchers, poking fun at them.
"Who knew there were still good people in Ban Ard?" Fred awkwardly smiled and scratched his head.
He had been the most reluctant when it came to killing the monsters. Hughes and Fred also chimed in: "Fred's right, the people there were awful before."
"The way they looked down on us, even despised witchers, who would want to help them deal with monsters?"
"They were just misguided!" Vesemir said earnestly.
The young witchers had no interest in the grand philosophies of the master witcher. Seeing that Vesemir was about to launch into a lengthy lecture, Fred quickly turned to the somewhat distracted Allen.
"Allen, how much did you collect this time?"
Allen blinked, about to respond.
"Someone's coming!"
The sorceress warned, then vanished from their sight.
Soon after, The witchers heard the sound of horse hooves behind them. Turning toward the noise, They saw two young men wearing the black robes of Ban Ard Academy riding toward them urgently.
Vesemir frowned, "Make way!"
The young witchers urged their horses aside to clear a path, but the two young men stopped right in front of them.
"Master Vesemir, I'm Radek from the Camarillo family."
"My companion and I are planning to head home. May I ask where you're headed next?"
"If our routes are the same, would you mind if we traveled together?"
"The Camarillo family?"
Vesemir removed his wide-brimmed black hat. His sharp, golden cat-like eyes stared at the two young men on horseback. But they remained unflinching.
"Yes, the Camarillo family," Radek repeated.
Worried that Vesemir might not remember, he added: "My grandfather, Black Camarillo, and my father, Pasha Camarillo, both had the pleasure of meeting you. They hired you to hunt down the great griffin terrorizing our homeland."
The great griffin?
Hearing such a specific detail, Vesemir thought for a moment and hesitated.
"The Camarillo family that hired a painter?"
Radek's face broke into a wide smile, nodding eagerly: "That's the one!"
"The portrait of Master Vesemir's heroic figure still hangs in our castle's banquet hall…"
Vesemir hesitantly glanced at Allen. Once the headmaster returned to Ban Ard and the apprentice competition was resolved, He planned to head straight to Melitele's temple in Ellander with Allen to lift his curse. He hadn't planned on taking any more contracts.
And Vera was still waiting nearby, invisible…
However, the Camarillo family was indeed along their route, and they were one of his major clients. Given the current unfavorable situation for witchers, rejecting such a benefactor's request seemed unwise. Seeing Vesemir's dilemma, Allen hesitated for a moment.
After hearing the sorceress's voice in his mind agreeing to the request, he spoke up.
"We're heading to Ellander. Is that on your way?"
"On the way! On the way!"
Radek quickly said, then pulled out fifty orens to hand to Vesemir. Normally, a caravan escort would cost just a few orens. But since they were dealing with a master witcher from the School of the Wolf, along with another witcher of equal strength,
Radek forked over the money without hesitation, even though it pained him.
Seeing that Allen had no objections, Vesemir hesitated for a couple of seconds before accepting the money.
Radek and his fellow sorcerer apprentice sighed in relief. They joined the witchers' party. After learning that Vera would head to the Orchard on her own, Vesemir led the group in that direction.
Radek was a natural conversationalist.
In just a few sentences, he had the young witchers relaxed and chatting openly with him. After a while, he suddenly remembered that he hadn't introduced his companion, and laughed: "I almost forgot to introduce…"
"This is my companion, Bogdan."
"During the apprentice competition, he was one of the few who bet on your victory."
Hearing this, the young witchers immediately warmed up to Bogdan.
"And who did you bet on?" Fred asked, zeroing in on the key point.
"Uh…"
Radek was momentarily speechless.
....…
📢20 advanced chapters on p@treaon📢
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207. Alder Knights.
208. Unboxing and New Skills.
209. Another Prophecy!
210. Mary is a Good Girl.
211. Necromancy.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone